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If your fantasy football roster busted in Week 1, don't fret. It won't happen for two straight weeks, right?
For fantasy managers of Mark Andrews, Amari Cooper, Drake London, Marvin Harrison Jr., and more, there's some panic in the streets. Hopefully, they don't repeat their pitiful performances again in Week 2. At least you can take solace in the fact they aren't listed in this column.
With that being said, below are my 10 fantasy football busts, or players that may disappoint, for Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season. Good luck RotoBallers!
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Joe Burrow (QB, CIN) at Kansas City
Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a trend.
For the third straight year, Joe Burrow and the Bengals have bungled the beginning of the season. They lost two consecutive games in 2o22 and 2023, and appear to be on their way again in 2024 after an embarrassing home loss to the New England Patriots.
Besides Week 1 of 2022, he hasn't finished higher than QB15 in these games. He was worse than Bryce Young and Will Levis last week.
| Game | Yards | TD | Int. |
| Week 1, 2022 | 338 | 2 | 4 |
| Week 2, 2022 | 199 | 1 | 0 |
| Week 1, 2023 | 82 | 0 | 0 |
| Week 2, 2023 | 222 | 2 | 1 |
| Week 1, 2024 | 164 | 0 | 0 |
Now, he has to go to Arrowhead and face an elite Kansas City defense, likely without the services of Tee Higgins (hamstring). He has been solid against the Chiefs thus far in his career and he and Ja'Marr Chase can go off at any time. But it's better to err on the side of caution and find a streaming quarterback until Burrow and the Bengals look like themselves again.
Kirk Cousins (QB, ATL) at Philadelphia
It's a small, one-week sample size, but Kirk Cousins looked nothing like the QB6 he was last year before tearing his Achilles. Could it be rust? Sure. It's more likely that Cousins' 36-year-old body isn't comfortable moving about the pocket under a surgically repaired leg.
Per @NextGenStats, there were only 2 starting QBs in Week 1 that failed to throw a single pass over 20+ air yards:
- Daniel Jones
- Kirk Cousins— Sam Sherman (@Sherman_FFB) September 9, 2024
Not only did Cousins not throw the ball downfield, but the Falcons called zero play-action passes against Pittsburgh. Throwing deep and out of play action are strong suits of Cousins' game. The coaches and Cousins didn't feel comfortable moving the quarterback. When the pocket was clean, he still didn't throw it deep. His 140 air yards ranked 29th in Week 1.
The Eagles don't have a T.J. Watt on their roster, but the defensive line is the strong suit of their defense. Should Jalen Carter generate pressure from the interior, Cousins won't feel safe in the pocket.
Javonte Williams (RB, DEN) vs. Pittsburgh
Javonte Williams rushed seven times in the first half of Week 1 and caught his lone target in the final minutes of the second quarter. He recorded one carry (for zero yards) in the entire second half. The touches in the back half of the game went to Jaleel McLaughlin.
The second-year, diminutive runner wasn't any better than Williams. McLaughlin averaged 2.7 yards per carry on 10 attempts and caught five passes for one yard. Willams was a notch better at 2.9 yards per attempt.
The Seahawks were one of the worst rush defenses a year ago but looked much better under new coach Mike Macdonald. We'll see if that holds up throughout the season or if they were lucky enough to face one of the more inept offenses in Week 1. Bo Nix averaged 3.3 yards per pass attempt. It won't be difficult for defenses to focus on stopping the run and keep the Broncos out of the end zone.
For what seems like the 1,824,838th time in our life, the Pittsburgh Steelers have an elite defense. If Seattle gave Bo Nix fits, it would be downright ugly against Pittsburgh. Avoid the entire Denver offense, the most high-profile of which is Javonte Williams.
D'Andre Swift (RB, CHI) at Houston
Caleb Williams threw for 92 yards in his debut and could be without two starting wide receivers for his second NFL game. Keenan Allen (heel) and Rome Odunze (knee) missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday.
How does this affect D'Andre Swift? Well, the running back isn't good enough to carry an offense. If the entire offense is struggling, so is Swift.
The Texans defense held Jonathan Taylor to 48 yards on 16 carries (although he did score a touchdown). He wasn't involved at all in the passing game. Similarly, Swift averaged three yards per carry (10 for 30) and did not catch a pass against Tennessee. Four of his carries went backward.
The Texans are nearly touchdown favorites and C.J. Stroud won't make the same mistakes that Will Levis did to keep the Bears close. It could be a rough prime-time debut for Williams and Co.
Zamir White, Alexander Mattison (RB, LV) at Baltimore
White was only going to be great for fantasy football if he had no competition for touches. The Raiders projected to be a low-scoring offense and looked the part in Week 1 against the Chargers.
White got the first four running back touches for the Raiders. Mattison entered the game late in the first quarter and scored on a 31-yard catch-and-run. From there, the coaches kept the hotter hand on the field, something Antonio Pierce suggests will be the plan moving forward. With Mattison in the mix, no Raiders running backs can be trusted.
Pierce said the #Raiders will roll with the hot hand at RB. Yesterday, it was Alexander Mattison, whose wife went into labor right before the game and had a baby last night. Pierce sounded pleased with what Mattison put on tape.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 9, 2024
Will neither have a hot hand against a stout Baltimore run defense? That's likely. One of last season's best defenses held Isiah Pacheco to three yards per carry in Week 1.
Christian Watson (WR, GB) vs. Indianapolis
Malik Willis is (likely) the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
Packers QB Jordan Love's initial timetable for return is 3-6 weeks. (via @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/FdcIynUAR9
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
Honestly, we could have just ended the blurb right there. Willis has zero touchdowns and three interceptions in his career. That includes three starts. He didn't eclipse 100 passing yards in any of those starts.
There's pessimism about all Green Bay wide receivers this week. Romeo Doubs is also a sit (even a cut candidate if you're in a roster crunch). Jayden Reed can be played because of how Matt LaFleur manufactures touches for the slot receiver, but proceed with caution.
Christian Watson is a receiver reliant on long completions and touchdowns. His career-high for receptions in one game is seven and he averages three catches per game in his young career. He has 13 touchdowns in 24 career games. Depending on Willis to sustain a drive and find Watson in the end zone is a fool's errand.
Calvin Ridley (WR, TEN) vs. New York Jets
Calvin Ridley is the lone holdover from this column a week ago. Matched up against a solid Chicago secondary, Ridley caught three of his seven targets for 50 yards. Will Levis missed on a couple of throws that could have turned Ridley into a Week 1 star.
Calvin Ridley was getting open on Sunday, but sheesh pic.twitter.com/nMwpnhiSG3
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 9, 2024
It's a similar story in Week 2. Levis is still a below-average quarterback, but now he's facing an even better pass defense in the New York Jets. The Jets allowed five touchdowns to wide receivers in 2023 and did not let a 49er catch one on "Monday Night Football."
While star cornerback Sauce Gardner doesn't typically shadow, who else on the Titans is a receiving threat? DeAndre Hopkins is hampered by a knee injury and played 27% of the snaps in Week 1. Tyler Boyd and Treylon Burks aren't scaring defenses. It could make sense for Gardner to move from his typical left side.
The Titans coaching staff would be smart to follow San Francisco's recipe from Monday. Run the football, run the football, and run the football. Tony Pollard averaged over five yards a carry against Chicago. Keep it out of the air and give yourself a chance to win.
DK Metcalf (WR, SEA) at New England
It's not an ideal start to the schedule for DK Metcalf. Pat Sutrain II stifled the Seahawks' top receiver in Week 1 (three catches for 29 yards). Next up is the Patriots' Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez isn't named among the elite cornerbacks in the NFL. Yet. His rookie season was cut off after four games, but he's picking up right where he left off.
#Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez’s NFL matchups:
J. Chase: 20 Routes, 3 Rec, 15 Yards
G. Wilson: 23 Routes, 3 Rec, 18 Yards
T. Hill: 17 Routes, 0 Rec, 0 Yards, INT
J. Waddle: 4 Routes, 1 Rec, 15 Yards
D. Smith: 11 Routes, 2 Rec, 22 Yards, PBU
A. Brown: 19 Routes, 4 Rec, 47 Yards pic.twitter.com/gPunsyRS55— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) September 9, 2024
The former first-round pick shadowed Ja'Marr Chase in Week 1, even following him into the slot at times. Chase's 28-yard reception in the fourth quarter (nearly half of his 62-yard total) was one of the few times when Gonzalez was not lined up across from him.
Metcalf typically doesn't perform well against the top-tier cornerbacks. Plus, as evidenced by its Week 1 victory, Seattle's initial plan of attack on offense is to run the football.
George Pickens (WR, PIT) at Denver
George Pickens, meet Pat Surtain II. You'll be seeing a lot of each other. The third-year receiver will match up with one of the league's top cornerbacks for the first time as professionals (they did play against each other once in college).
Surtain shadowed DK Metcalf in Week 1. Per Next Gen Stats, the All-Pro lined up across Metcalf for 24 of his 25 routes. As stated above, he caught three passes for 29 yards.
What's stopping DC Vance Joseph from deploying a similar strategy in Week 2? Surtain states he's up for the challenge after playing almost exclusively on the left side in his first three seasons. The Pittsburgh Steelers only have one receiver to worry about -- Pickens. Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III combined for two catches for eight yards.
Russell Wilson may not get to live out his revenge-game dream. The Steelers are prepping Justin Fields to start his second consecutive game at quarterback due to Wilson's calf injury. It's easy to game plan for a quarterback who only runs and throws outside.
Justin Fields pass chart looks like a pitcher who’s about to be sent down to the minors pic.twitter.com/WSOB7m5Eo6
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 9, 2024
The Steelers registered 41 rush attempts and 25 pass plays in their win over Atlanta. They didn't snap the ball inside the 10-yard line, scored no touchdowns, and won a football game. And the Denver offense is probably worse than Atlanta's. Surtain will limit already limited targets to Pickens.
Evan Engram (TE, JAX) vs. Cleveland
Evan Engram's near-record-breaking 2023 season was built off volume, and it was mostly done with Christian Kirk out of the lineup. With Kirk back for Week 1, Engram saw four targets. He caught just one for a total of five yards. He also played 68% of the snaps. Last season, the only time he dipped below 70% was a blowout victory over Tennessee.
The volume alone is a concern, but not enough for fantasy managers to bench Engram. After all, Trevor Lawrence only attempted 21 passes against Miami and completed 12. Brian Thomas Jr. was the only Jacksonville wide receiver who exceeded expectations (because he scored).
Couple the volume with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns defense, a unit known for limiting tight ends. The Browns were a top-5 defense against the position in 2022 and 2023. They're off to a good start in the new year. Jake Ferguson had three catches for 15 yards before departing with a knee injury in the third quarter.
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